October 24/00 6:12 am - Democracy Essay, Paralympics, Birthdays

Posted by Editor on 10/24/00

Democracy In Action

An essay by Neil Ross

Most of you I am sending this to are cyclists, but the message is beyond our own sport.

Municipal elections (in Ontario, at least) are coming up very quickly! What if we got every person who coaches, participates in, or has children who participate in sport to attend every local political meeting and ask the key questions about where does this candidate stand on the issues of Quality Daily Physical Education, Community Recreation and Sport for all who deserve it all levels! Imagine if each of us made the effort to phone, fax, email every politician we could in our local communities (it does start there) and attended at least one meeting and stood up and asked The Question. Imagine if each of us forwarded this to everyone on our list and asked them to do the same. Imagine the awareness we could create. Imagine the consciousness level to which we take the entire community because everyone, not just politicians will hear The Question being asked.

Who else do you know who has children in school, who is interested in Community Recreation, who cares about Health and Welfare and the future of young people? Who admires and respects excellence? Who can you pass this on to and invite them to become a part of healthier, more productive and more inspirational future for all of us?

We are in our best ever position to have an impact. Significant change is possible because the general awareness is greatly increased by the media perceptions of our Olympic team in Sydney; and Denis Coderre and all the possibilities he represents with his "Working Group", Regional Sport Policy Meetings, and the 2008 bid, and a growing sense that our children are being deprived of school Physical and Health Education classes (only 20 mins per week in some schools), and school sports that every child deserves. The time is right! Now is the time for all of us to speak, at every opportunity, about what the solution really is -- these are my beliefs, see what you think. Whenever we are asked about High Performance funding we take the opportunity to point out that it is absolutely essential, and yet it is not the answer. The answer lies in the very complex, organic mix of Quality Daily Physical Education, Community Recreation, and Sport at all levels. It is a matter of doing what is right for Health and Social Welfare, in the broadest sense, and with a very long-term view.

We know that active young people are healthier and will be healthier adults, as attitudes and competencies are carried into adulthood. We know that good, values-based programs, with excellent teachers, coaches and leaders change kids lives for the better; thus less youth crime and violence and vastly decreased costs to society in that area. The "bottom" of this mix, the foundation, is Quality Daily Physical and Health Education for every student, yes every day, and extensive schools sports and recreation programs, that are integrated with Community sport and Recreation programs.

We also know that when we have a system that offers all young people the opportunity to experience themselves physically (and socially, and in all the arts) they will discover their specific gifts and be able to make wise choices. And, integrated, coherent School, Community, Provincial and National programs will give them a path to the ultimate limit of what each wants and is able to achieve. The top needs special funding because it is the Inspiration for all the rest, and for all the rest of us in whatever we are doing! We humans are moved to action by feelings, not thoughts. Simon Whitfield is a classic example. First he touched our hearts, and our spirits, and then he delivered thoughts about being a Canadian, about appreciating the support he received, and needed, to get where he was. But young athletes everywhere are choked up, and moved to do what they do -- even better, by what Simon did over that last 10kms. They are inspired!! That is the real, possibly the only, value of supporting High Performance amateur athletes; they move us to get involved, to believe that "anything is possible", to become even more than we currently are, to take charge of, and change our own lives. There are many messages delivered by our Olympians (and all other visible Internationals) but one that cannot be ignored is the message of appreciating what we are seeing because we have some personal experience, some way of doing sport and recreation that is personally satisfying and fulfilling. In this is possibly the greatest benefit of all -- we will have more participants, and thus more spectators and fewer fans; Commercial-Entertainment-Sport will be seen for what it is: Crass and generally promoting negative values.

Is it just possible that we could have a day when a large number of people would choose to be active in their own sport/recreation more often than passively living vicariously through made-for-T.V. -commercial-entertainment-sport? Images and attitudes that too often appeal to the lowest aspect of our humanity. We in Physical Education/Recreation and Sport have an opportunity that is unprecedented. We need to speak with a common voice. We must never get caught in the limiting, divide and conquer, do whatever to get elected, very short term "either-or" thinking of the politicians and the media. We are the only ones who can choose to present a picture of the whole, an "and-also" perspective. We have suffered from those who want us to believe that it is either Physical Education OR School Sports. , Sport OR Recreation, Either High Performance OR Participation. It is not "Either-Or". It is "And-Also." It must be Physical Education, (Quality Daily Physical Education), AND Recreation for all who want it -- in every community; AND Sport at all levels, AND, also High Performance Sport because that is the living reality of what is humanly possible, for all of us, in some aspect of our lives.